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Court of Justice Jobs

7 open positions

Court of Justice is currently advertising 7 open positions on our EU Jobs Alert tracker. Every vacancy below is sourced from the official Court of Justice careers portal, normalised into a consistent schema, and refreshed daily so you never miss a deadline.

Use the filters on this page to narrow Court of Justice roles by grade, contract type, location, and policy domain. The listing is updated daily from official EU recruitment sources and every job links straight through to the institution's application page. No recruiter middlemen, no expired postings.

HQ Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Est. 1952
Staff ~2,200
Grades AD5AD7AD9AD12AST3FG IV
About Court of Justice

About Court of Justice

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is the EU's supreme judicial authority, ensuring uniform interpretation and application of EU law across all 27 member states. Seated at the Kirchberg plateau in Luxembourg City, it comprises two courts: the Court of Justice (one judge per member state plus eleven Advocates General) and the General Court (two judges per member state). It rules on preliminary references from national courts, direct actions against EU institutions, infringement proceedings brought by the Commission, and staff disputes. Around 2,200 staff support judicial work, référendaires (legal secretaries to judges), administrators in directorates of research, translation, and library, plus the famously large multilingualism service.

Working at Court of Justice

Working at the CJEU is unlike any other EU posting: the institution is structured around the cabinets of individual judges and Advocates General, plus shared central services. The largest single function by headcount is multilingualism, every judgment, order and Advocate General opinion is translated into 24 official languages, and the lawyer-linguist corps is the world's largest body of legal translators. Other major employment streams are research and documentation (the directorate that prepares comparative-law notes used by judges), the Registry (procedural management of cases), and IT supporting e-Curia and case-law databases. French is the working language of deliberation, a non-negotiable requirement for référendaire and lawyer-linguist posts.

How to Apply

The CJEU recruits via three distinct channels: open EPSO competitions for AD administrators and AST assistants; institution-specific competitions for lawyer-linguists (one per language combination) and Court-specific profiles; and contract agent recruitments via CAST Permanent. Cabinet posts (référendaires of judges and Advocates General) are not recruited through open competition, they are personal appointments by the judge or Advocate General concerned, typically drawn from senior national lawyers, academics, or experienced administrators.

Related: European Commission ,Council of the European Union

The Court of Justice of the European Union is the EU's judicial arm, the supreme interpreter of Union law. It sits in Luxembourg on the Kirchberg plateau, in three buildings dominated by twin golden towers, and operates as two distinct courts under a single institutional umbrella: the Court of Justice and the General Court. For job-seekers it is one of the most specialised EU institutions to work for, with a workforce dominated by jurists and lawyer-linguists, a deeply francophone working culture, and an unusually flat hiring funnel where many top-level posts (référendaires in judges' cabinets) are hand-picked rather than recruited through open competition. Salaries follow the EU grid, with Luxembourg as a reference duty station (coefficient 100.0).

Mission and mandate

The Court of Justice of the European Union was established in 1952 as the Court of Justice of the European Coal and Steel Community, becoming a single court for the three Communities in 1957 and acquiring its current name with the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009. Its legal basis sits in Articles 251 to 281 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and in the Statute of the Court annexed to the Treaties. It has four core functions: ruling on preliminary references from national courts on the interpretation of EU law (Article 267 TFEU, by far the largest single workstream); direct actions including infringement proceedings brought by the Commission against member states (Article 258), actions for annulment of EU acts (Article 263), and actions for failure to act (Article 265); appeals from the General Court on points of law; and opinions on the compatibility of international agreements with the Treaties.

The General Court, created in 1989, hears most direct actions brought by natural and legal persons against EU institutions, competition decisions, state aid cases, trade mark and design appeals from EUIPO, staff cases, restrictive measures (sanctions) cases, and access-to-documents cases. Since the dissolution of the Civil Service Tribunal in 2016, EU staff cases are heard at first instance by the General Court. Appeals from the General Court go to the Court of Justice on points of law only. The institution publishes around 1,500 to 1,800 decisions a year across both courts.

Structure and operational divisions

The institution is organised around 27 cabinets of Court of Justice judges, 11 cabinets of Advocates General, and 54 cabinets of General Court judges (two per member state). Each cabinet typically comprises the judge or Advocate General, three to four référendaires (legal secretaries), and administrative assistants. Référendaires are personal appointments, recruited directly by the judge from a pool of senior national lawyers, academics, or experienced EU administrators, not via EPSO. They are the engine room of the Court's legal output, drafting reports, judgments, and opinions under the judge's supervision.

Around these cabinets sit five Directorates-General: the DG of Multilingualism (translation, interpretation, lawyer-linguists, terminology); the DG of Information (library, archives, IT including the e-Curia portal); the DG of Administration (HR, finance, infrastructure, security); the Research and Documentation Directorate (comparative-law research notes for cabinets); and the Registries of the two courts (case management, procedural acts, oral hearings). The two Registries are headed by Registrars elected by the judges of the respective courts. The Communication Directorate handles press, the website curia.europa.eu, and outreach. Geographically, almost all staff are based in Luxembourg; a small liaison presence exists in Brussels.

Hiring landscape over the last 12 months

CJEU hiring tends to concentrate in two areas: lawyer-linguists and translation support, and IT for case-management and digital justice initiatives. Lawyer-linguist competitions are language-specific (one per source-language combination) and produce reserve lists that the Court draws from for years. Each member-state accession or major shift in Court workload triggers a new wave; recent cycles have favoured combinations involving the languages of recent accessions and combinations bridging French (the working language) with German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Romanian, and Bulgarian.

Administrative posts cluster at AD5 entry level for jurists from open EPSO competitions, with mid-career hiring at AD7 to AD9 for specialists in research and documentation. Contract agent recruitment under CAST Permanent covers administrative support, IT, and finance roles at FG II to FG IV. Référendaire posts are not advertised, vacancies in cabinets are filled by direct invitation from the judge concerned, often from candidates who have completed a stage (traineeship) at the Court or who are recommended by national supreme-court networks. Stage (traineeship) recruitment runs twice a year and is the realistic entry point for early-career jurists hoping to be considered for a cabinet.

Salary realism by grade and the Luxembourg coefficient

Luxembourg is a reference duty station under Article 64 of the Staff Regulations with a correction coefficient of 100.0, identical to Brussels for nominal purposes. That makes the CJEU's gross salaries directly comparable to a Commission AD post in Brussels. An AD5 step 1 grosses €6,153 monthly basic, an AD7 step 1 €7,876, an AD9 step 1 €10,083, and an AD12 step 1 (the typical level for a senior référendaire or head of unit) €13,400 at the 2024/2025 grid. With the standard expatriation allowance (16% if applicable), a household allowance (~€220 plus 2% of basic), and dependent-child allowances (~€510 per child), an AD7 expatriate with one child typically lands at €9,500 to €10,500 gross monthly before tax.

Luxembourg's cost of living, however, is higher than Brussels, particularly housing in Luxembourg City and the immediate cross-border belt. The coefficient does not reflect this, which is a recurring complaint of Luxembourg-based EU staff. Most CJEU staff live in Luxembourg, in Belgian Arlon, in French Thionville/Metz, or in German Trier, with a daily commute. The Court runs a school bus network and provides links to the European School in Luxembourg, which mitigates housing pressure for staff with school-age children. Use the salary calculator to model a Luxembourg take-home against a Brussels or Paris post.

Languages, security clearance, and competition profile

French is the internal working language of deliberation across the Court. Every judgment is drafted first in French (the langue de délibéré) and then translated into the language of the case and all other official languages by the lawyer-linguist service. A high working command of French is therefore essential for cabinet posts, research and documentation, and most AD legal posts. Lawyer-linguist posts additionally require a perfect command of the target language (which must be the candidate's main language) plus a thorough knowledge of French and at least one other EU language.

For non-legal posts, IT, administration, finance, communication, French remains practically dominant but English is increasingly accepted. Security clearance is not generally required for cabinet or registry posts but staff handling sensitive material (e.g. competition or sanctions cases) hold case-by-case clearance. Competition profiles favour candidates with a national law degree, often a master's in European law, and ideally experience as a national judge's référendaire, a national civil servant, or an academic in EU law.

Application paths

There are five realistic paths into the CJEU. EPSO competitions for jurist-administrators (AD5 generalist and AD7 specialist EU law competitions, run periodically with reserve lists valid 1 to 3 years), the standard entry route for early-career lawyers without a network at the Court. Lawyer-linguist competitions, language-specific, advertised on the EPSO portal, requiring a law degree and a defined language combination; reserve lists are typically used over several years. Contract agent recruitment via CAST Permanent, register in the relevant profile (legal, finance, IT, administrative support) and respond to specific CJEU notices.

Stage (traineeship), a five-month placement in a cabinet, in the Registry, or in DG Research and Documentation, advertised twice yearly on curia.europa.eu. The stage is paid (around €1,400 monthly) and is the most realistic stepping stone to a référendaire offer. Direct cabinet appointment, référendaire positions in the cabinets of judges and Advocates General are not advertised; recruitment is by personal invitation, typically from candidates who have completed a stage, from national academic and judicial networks, or from senior EU lawyers known to the judge concerned. Network and prior stage matter more than formal application for this route. The Court also occasionally publishes calls for management posts (heads of unit, directors) via inter-institutional mobility.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the Court of Justice and the General Court?
The Court of Justice (one judge per member state) hears preliminary references from national courts, infringement actions brought by the Commission against member states, and appeals on points of law from the General Court. The General Court (two judges per member state) hears most direct actions brought by individuals and companies, competition, state aid, EUIPO trade mark appeals, staff cases, sanctions. Both sit in Luxembourg and share the Court's services.
Do I need French to work at the CJEU?
For legal and cabinet posts, effectively yes, French is the langue de délibéré in which all judgments are drafted before translation. For lawyer-linguist posts a perfect command of the target language plus thorough French is mandatory. For IT, finance, and administrative roles French is dominant but English is increasingly accepted.
How do I become a référendaire?
Référendaire positions are not advertised. Judges and Advocates General appoint their référendaires personally, typically from candidates who have completed a stage at the Court, from national judiciary and academic networks, or from senior EU lawyers. The most realistic preparation is a stage in a cabinet followed by sustained contact with the judge or AG concerned.
Where is the CJEU located?
On the Kirchberg plateau in Luxembourg City, in a complex dominated by the twin golden towers (the Erasmus and Adenauer buildings). Almost all staff are based in Luxembourg. The Court does not have a Brussels office of any size.
What is the salary at the CJEU compared to other EU institutions?
Identical at gross level, Luxembourg has a correction coefficient of 100.0, the same as Brussels. The functional difference is cost of living: Luxembourg housing is materially more expensive than Brussels, which the coefficient does not reflect. The European Schools and the school-bus network mitigate this for staff with children.
How does the CJEU stage (traineeship) work?
The stage runs twice a year (March to July, October to February) for five months. It is paid (around €1,400 per month). Placement is in a judge's or Advocate General's cabinet, in the Registry, or in DG Research and Documentation. Applications are submitted via curia.europa.eu around eight months in advance. The stage is the most realistic stepping stone to a référendaire offer.

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Luxembourg (7)

7 positions found

From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
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